The following article is transcribed from Harper's Weekly, Journal of Civilization, dated August 23, 1862:
The Battle of Cedar Mountain
The Army of Virginia has drawn blood. At Cedar Mountain, near Culpepper Court House, on Saturday, August 9, General Banks's corps - about 7000 strong - encountered some 15,000 of the enemy, under Jackson and Ewell, and fought them till nightfall. The battle did not lead to any substantial results that day. But on the Sunday the rebels fell back toward the Rapidan, and sent in a flag of truce for permission to bury their dead. At that time heavy reinforcements were pouring in from the other corps composing Pope's army, and Sigel was in the front.
This may be deemed an auspicious commencement of the new campaign of Northern Virginia. We do not know, and if we knew, and if we knew would not publish, the number of General Pope's army. But it is no secret that, when assembled together, it is too strong for the force with which Jackson has been operating, day by day. Troops are moving forward to reinforce it in very large numbers indeed. In the course of a couple weeks it will require the bulk of the rebel army before Richmond to resist its onward march. The moment the army goes out to fight Pope, McClellan will move, and the result then will be a mere matter of time.
Our generals are thus carrying out to the letter, though in a different locality, the precise plan which General McClellan formed six months ago for the defeat and destruction of the rebel army in Virginia. According to that plan, while he moved up the Peninsula through Yorktown and Williamsburg, McDowell, with 40,000 men, was to come down on the rebel flank from Fredericksburg. Had this scheme been fairly carried out, Richmond would probably have been in our possession in June last, and Joe Johnston's army would have been where Beauregard's is. With the circumstances which overthrew this plan every reader is familiar. Taught wisdom by experience, we are now trying it over again on a grander scale. Pope is moving down upon Richmond by way of Culpepper, while McClellan is making ready to move up on one or both bank of the James River. In the course of a short while each of the two armies, McClellan's and Pope's, will be too strong to be kept in check by any thing short of the entire rebel army. When that moment arrives the game will be force mate, as they say at chess.
But our armies must be reinforced, and that largely and promptly. By the time this paper is read troops should be pouring into Washington at the rate of several regiments a day; and though they will be raw recruits, not fit to meet veterans in the open field, they will do very well for garrison duty at Washington, and by brigading them with older regiments may, in course of four or five weeks, be turned to good account in the armies. There should, however, be no tenderness about drafting; no listening to idle promises of more regiments by October; no swerving front he policy of the order of August 4th. if this rebellion is to be put down at all, it must be put down by sheer strength promptly developed. By October we must have 900,000 or 1,000,000 men in the field. If we have them, we shall have peace in the spring. If any more blunders or changes of purpose prevent their being raised by that time, the war may last a couple years longer.